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Prince of Persia: Rival Swords - Wii

Rival Swords is essentially a remake of Prince of Persia : The Two Thrones, except with waggle, widescreen and 480p.

How I Waggle?

Motion detection inputs are primarily used to initiate attacks as well as other event-based movements. It's similar to Twilight Princess, wherein you flick your Wii Remote to attack, and keep flicking for combos and special moves. One benefit is that you're now dual wielding, so you're able to flick your nunchuck as well to attack with your left hand.

The rest of the controls use the buttons on the controllers. The camera can be moved by twisting the Wii Remote, but one can also rotate the camera with the directional pad.

Is it Good?

It's essentially the exact same game as the Two Thrones. According to 1Up, there aren't any differences, graphically, in the Wii version. One caveat is that it is supposedly censored; that is, the kills aren't as brutal in this version. One probably wouldn't notice if they've never played the original, but it is interesting Ubisoft decided to do this.

Reviews
Nintendo Power - 7/10 : No changes from the Two Thrones version, censored violent one-hit kills, motion-controls work great, maybe not worth the money if you've played it before.IGN - 7.1/10 : intuitive attack motion-controls, some camera issues due to no dual analog sticks, just buy the GC version

The Wii version of Rival Swords is a solid game, and remains fun to play in spite of the censoring. The controls work well, but they're not revolutionary. I like it so far after one play session.

I haven't played the Two Thrones. I enjoyed Sands of Time, but didn't enjoy Warrior Within all that much. Some of the boss battles were too difficult for me, and I didn't like running from that giant scary monster guy.

I'm looking forward to Rival Swords, but I'm disappointed there aren't any graphical updates. Maybe I'll just buy Two Thrones for the Gamecube, or wait until the price drops for Rival Swords.

If anyone has purchased or played this and would like to comment, I'm all ears.

Rival Swords is essentially a remake of Prince of Persia : The Two Thrones, except with waggle.

This is getting to be an annoying and frequent Wii trend.

[GAME] is essentially a remake of [GAME], except with waggle.

Quite, but I'd rather remakes instead of no games at all. I'm just assuming they're using this tactic as a cash in while they develop full-fledged Wii games. The benefit is it's preventing an all out drought.

Rival Swords is essentially a remake of Prince of Persia : The Two Thrones, except with waggle.

This is getting to be an annoying and frequent Wii trend.

That you appear trolling in each fucking Wii thread is an annoying and frequent trend.

To be fair; he's right. As long as Wii ports are the exact same game with motion controls that replace button presses then what's the point? When you can play (or watch) a game and say "now that looks honest-to-God better than using buttons" it's a good Wii port, and I'm not sure we've seen that yet.

I don't want motion controls for the sake of motion controls. I want motion controls that add to the game experience. Not every game fits that, and I have a feeling that PoP, with its emphasis on timing isn't going to be a great fit for the old game + waggle = profit formula.

Because let's face it. PoP gets pretty frustrating even with a conventional control scheme. Do you really want to see how frustrating it is after Ubi took away your buttons and mapped them to motion control gestures?

There's really nothing inherently wrong with taking previous games and adapting them to the new systems. It's pretty much de riguer for new systems nowadays, and it's nothing limited to the Wii.

That said, there are still good examples and bad examples. I haven't played Rival Swords or read much about it, but the word on the street is that it's pretty flimsy. Unless the controls are OMG awesome, I'd tell people just to go buy the GC version of Two Thrones, which is now probably $10-$20.

As long as Wii ports are the exact same game with motion controls that replace button presses then what's the point?

It has never been about how easy and simple it is. It is how satisfying and fun controls are. For example, Dance Dance Revolution. It can be played both pad and dance mat. Though pad gives more precise, easier and result-wise same solution, still, for some strange reason, people prefer dancemat. Wii Godfather could have used just button presses (there is enough buttons in the mote), but they used motions. And nearly everyone prefers Wii version to other versions, even though they just changed button presses to motions.

To be fair; he's right. As long as Wii ports are the exact same game with motion controls that replace button presses then what's the point?

It has never been about how easy and simple it is. It is how satisfying and fun controls are. For example, Dance Dance Revolution. It can be played both pad and dance mat. Though pad gives more precise and easier solution, still, for some strange reason, people prefer dancemat. Wii Godfather could have used just button presses (there is enough buttons in the mote), but they used motions. And nearly everyone prefers Wii version to other versions, even though they just changed button presses to motions.

And my point is that it's going to be much easier to make an unplayable steaming pile when you try to shoehorn motion controls into an existing game. Those options you're talking about in DDR are planned when the game is initially developed. I sincerely doubt that Ubi knew what was coming down the pipe from Nintendo and decided to design Two Thrones with an eventual motion-control port in mind.

Here's how I see it happening.
1.) Ubi makes Two Thrones which is good and successful (developed button-centric controllers in mind).
2.) Nintendo makes Wii which is good and successful (developed with motion controls in mind).
3.) Ubi forces motion controls into a game designed for a conventional scheme.
4.) Gamers buy it, and are punished by another sloppy Ubi port.

I haven't played The Godfather, but if the Wii controls are well-implemented that's great. I have played Two Thrones, and I can't imagine trying to pull off combinations that precise using gestures. Some games just aren't destined for waggle, and the sooner developers realize that and actually develop for the console instead of forcing motion controls, the better off we'll be.

Where is the article that says it's censored? Is this just based of the T rating, because the original only got an M for the nudity that wasn't in there.

I read it in my Nintendo Power mag. I don't think they post their articles online. I'll see if I can dig up another source.

also a recent 1up podcast irrc.

Okay then... what's been censored?

again, iirc, even when you kill regular people, they disolve like sand demons, and some cut scenes have been changed to remove violence, but its been done shodilly so it makes no sense with regards to the plot.

Where is the article that says it's censored? Is this just based of the T rating, because the original only got an M for the nudity that wasn't in there.

I read it in my Nintendo Power mag. I don't think they post their articles online. I'll see if I can dig up another source.

also a recent 1up podcast irrc.

Okay then... what's been censored?

Imran had a big rant about this in our last podcast; he said that:

â€¢ All stealth kills are now stealth "take your arm and knock them unconscious" moves
â€¢ No blood spilt from anyone, human or sand-creature
â€¢ In one scene, instead of the evil prince killing off an evil enemy female character, she falls off a building and the evil (EVIL, mind you) prince tries to save her!

It's all stuff that wasn't in the PSP version and was implemented specifically for the Wii version. Again, this is all heresay, but it's pretty :| if true.

Rival Swords is essentially a remake of Prince of Persia : The Two Thrones, except with waggle.

This is getting to be an annoying and frequent Wii trend.

[GAME] is essentially a remake of [GAME], except with waggle.

Quite, but I'd rather remakes instead of no games at all. I'm just assuming they're using this tactic as a cash in while they develop full-fledged Wii games. The benefit is it's preventing an all out drought.

The thing that pisses me off most about this trend is that it's more of that damn "Hey, we can replace the X button with the 'shaking the Wiimote'! How cool and innovative is THAT?" instead of trying to actually <i>design</i> a game around the wiimote.

Some games just aren't destined for waggle, and the sooner developers realize that and actually develop for the console instead of forcing motion controls, the better off we'll be.

It is quite stupid to say that wiimote / nunchuk can't work with more complex games, when it has more buttons that Dreamcast controller, one less than Gamecube controller and only two less than PS3 / X360 controller. Only thing that it is missing is second analog stick, and pointer can replace it in genre where it is used most; FPS's. In fact, they could have easily used normal, cube-esque button presses in SSX Blur if they would have really wanted. It isn't wiimote's fault that some companies are rushing ports, and not using common sense in design.

The thing that pisses me off most about this trend is that it's more of that damn "Hey, we can replace the X button with the 'shaking the Wiimote'! How cool and innovative is THAT?" instead of trying to actually <i>design</i> a game around the wiimote.

I'm trying to steer the conversation more to the game itself than "does waggle suxk olol," but remember that almost all of the first- and second-gen DS games went through this same exact cycle. Projects spent years behind the scenes before they become public, so there are a lot of quick shift-overs at the beginning of every console's life -- ever -- but within time all systems start to hit their stride and get games suited to their strengths. The first nine months of the 360's life were fairly slim and port-heavy, too, and I wasn't even interested in the DS until Kirby and Meteos were announced.

Anyway, I still want to hear more impressions about Rival Swords, but I'm not too optimistic, as I mentioned. The game is still really great, though; I skipped Warrior Within based on the bad buzz it got, but Two Thrones was a great return to style, even though I still don't like the complexed-up battle engine.

Okay, I personally don't necessarily mind the idea of re-releases with Wiimote controls. I do think they should update the graphics at least a bit and add some new content, but meh. What really gets under my skin is the fact that this game costs $50 while you can get the Gamecube version now for $20. What the hell, Ubisoft? The fact that they actually censored it from the original(because Wii is for kids lol) is just rubbing salt in the wound. For that price they should have redone the entire trilogy for the Wii.

Rival Swords is essentially a remake of Prince of Persia : The Two Thrones, except with waggle.

This is getting to be an annoying and frequent Wii trend.

That you appear trolling in each fucking Wii thread is an annoying and frequent trend.

Truth. You posted this, what, five seconds after posting the exact same thing in the RE4 Wii thread?

Noting the obvious is hardly trolling.

So you wouldn't mind if we all noticed the obvious about you, then.

Hey, man, I was just talking about the game. Y'all are the ones that made this personal. Hmm. Personal attacks? Sounds like trolling to me.

Saying that an overload of "direct ports + waggle" to the Wii isn't trolling. It's an opinion, grounded in fact (Two Thrones > Rival Swords, RE4 > RE4 Wii, etc.). Saying that this isn't a good thing is an opinion, and not exactly a fringe one. Feel free to disagree.

Rival Swords is essentially a remake of Prince of Persia : The Two Thrones, except with waggle.

This is getting to be an annoying and frequent Wii trend.

That you appear trolling in each fucking Wii thread is an annoying and frequent trend.

Truth. You posted this, what, five seconds after posting the exact same thing in the RE4 Wii thread?

Noting the obvious is hardly trolling.

So you wouldn't mind if we all noticed the obvious about you, then.

Hey, man, I was just talking about the game. Y'all are the ones that made this personal. Hmm. Personal attacks? Sounds like trolling to me.

Saying that an overload of "direct ports + waggle" to the Wii isn't trolling. It's an opinion, grounded in fact (Two Thrones > Rival Swords, RE4 > RE4 Wii, etc.). Saying that this isn't a good thing is an opinion, and not exactly a fringe one. Feel free to disagree.

I didn't make a personal attack! I just stated the obvious, based on the statement you just made.

Some games just aren't destined for waggle, and the sooner developers realize that and actually develop for the console instead of forcing motion controls, the better off we'll be.

It is quite stupid to say that wiimote / nunchuk can't work with more complex games, when it has more buttons that Dreamcast controller, one less than Gamecube controller and only two less than PS3 / X360 controller. Only thing that it is missing is second analog stick, and pointer can replace it in genre where it is used most; FPS's. In fact, they could have easily used normal, cube-esque button presses in SSX Blur if they would have really wanted. It isn't wiimote's fault that some companies are rushing ports, and not using common sense in design.

I'm not saying the the Wii doesn't have enough buttons.
I'm saying that some games don't seem like they'd lend themselves well to gesture-based control.

With all the acrobatics in Prince of Persia, I'd rather just pull a trigger and know that I'm wall running exactly when I need to be. Especially since of the acrobatics are very exact regarding when things need to happen. I can see this being particularly problematic during Dark Prince segments. A couple of those things had just enough time to complete the segment. I'd rather fail because I didn't know what to do than because my gesture didn't register or I didn't do it exactly right or I was made to use a gesture when pushing the B trigger could have done the exact same thing except more convenient.

Do I think that a good PoP could be made for the Wii? Yes, but I don't think porting a game designed around exact and timing-sensitive button-presses is the way to do it. And has been previously mentioned, I'm not a big fan of motion controls that just replace button presses. Don't make me jerk the controller upward to jump. Let me use it to aim. Show me things that it can do better than a button press, and don't be afraid to use the buttons that are there when they're more suited to the task at hand.

Some games just aren't destined for waggle, and the sooner developers realize that and actually develop for the console instead of forcing motion controls, the better off we'll be.

It is quite stupid to say that wiimote / nunchuk can't work with more complex games, when it has more buttons that Dreamcast controller, one less than Gamecube controller and only two less than PS3 / X360 controller. Only thing that it is missing is second analog stick, and pointer can replace it in genre where it is used most; FPS's. In fact, they could have easily used normal, cube-esque button presses in SSX Blur if they would have really wanted. It isn't wiimote's fault that some companies are rushing ports, and not using common sense in design.

I'm not saying the the Wii doesn't have enough buttons.
I'm saying that some games don't seem like they'd lend themselves well to gesture-based control.

With all the acrobatics in Prince of Persia, I'd rather just pull a trigger and know that I'm wall running exactly when I need to be. Especially since of the acrobatics are very exact regarding when things need to happen. I can see this being particularly problematic during Dark Prince segments. A couple of those things had just enough time to complete the segment. I'd rather fail because I didn't know what to do than because my gesture didn't register or I didn't do it exactly right or I was made to use a gesture when pushing the B trigger could have done the exact same thing except more convenient.

Do I think that a good PoP could be made for the Wii? Yes, but I don't think porting a game designed around exact and timing-sensitive button-presses is the way to do it. And has been previously mentioned, I'm not a big fan of motion controls that just replace button presses. Don't make me jerk the controller upward to jump. Let me use it to aim. Show me things that it can do better than a button press, and don't be afraid to use the buttons that are there when they're more suited to the task at hand.

According to the OP, the motion controls that are implemented in this game are for fighting only. All precision acrobatic movements are done with button presses.

Also, you're assuming that gesture based motions can't be precise. I disagree with you there.

I'm thinking about picking this game up later tonight, after I finish work and grab some dinner. If I do, I'll make with the impressions. I'm aware of potential drawbacks to the game, but I love this series and am intrigued to try it on the Wii. I played all the other three on PC already, and even tried to play the halfhearted WW PSP port..which was kind of...ugh.

Okay so I'm double posting in the thread with promised impressions. I played the game (Wii Version) for about 45 minutes or so, and so far it's solid. More or less what you'd expect, it's The Two Thrones with Wii controls. The camera movement takes a little to get used to, and I find myself switching between the rotate the Wii remote method and the pressing the d-pad method.

Combat feels a little imprecise, though all the combos are still here. It's more visceral as well cause you can just flail with both hands and get some results. The platforming is still top notch, and all of that is still controlled with buttons. As mentioned earlier, only the combat makes heavy use of motion control. The speed kills are more fun than the standard combat, but then in my opinion that was the case with the original game. As to the censoring, it seems all they really did was change the blood so that it looks like sand...they left in the squishing noises from the attacks which is kind of funny when there's no gore. The animations of the speed kills seem the same, they just have slightly less impact due to the censoring.

At first it really bothered me because I just got done playing a whole lot of God of War II. However, after my little play session, it didn't really bother me at all. I've yet to see any censoring to cutscenes or story, but then I'm not far in enough to find any of that yet. Overall, it seems like a really solid port: framerate is good, graphics are solid, and the gameplay is still fun. The controls don't feel tacked on, they're just a little different, and I personally find them just as responsive as the original controls. If anyone has any questions I'd be happy to try and answer them. I'm not a hardcore fan of this series, but I've been playing PoP since the original (meaning the Original original, not Sands of Time) and this is really getting me back into it.

TL;dr The Wii version of Rival Swords is a solid game, and remains fun to play in spite of the censoring. The controls work well, but they're not revolutionary. I like it so far after one play session.

The cutscene where the prince first encounters the main villain and his cronies has a pretty 'ouch' scene. (But I doubt they censored FMVs), and the first boss fight is almost God of War-ish in brutality.

I can't believe that they actually make the Prince try and save one of the bosses who is kicked into a pit, though. That's just... holy shit wow.